In late spring, Lijing Pavilion was ablaze with blossoms.

The First Madam lay pale as paper on the large kang by the window. A gentle breeze drifted in, and a few willow catkins settled onto her bedding.

“Sister-in-law, you must contain your grief.” The Second Madam sat at the head of the bed comforting her. “The departed have passed on!”

The Third Madam added her agreement: “Indeed, Sister-in-law. You must please take care of yourself!”

The First Madam’s lips parted slightly, and tears rolled down again.

Nearby, Nanny Xu also held back tears: “First Madam, you have been weeping from last night until now… do take care of your eyes.”

The others offered their words of comfort as well.

The First Madam’s spirits finally improved somewhat. She struggled to sit up and said politely to the Second and Third Madams: “What a bother I have been to all of you!”

“Sister-in-law, those words are too formal.” The Second Madam smiled. “We are also Yuanniang’s family by blood!”

At the mention of Yuanniang, the First Madam’s eyes dimmed again.

The Third Madam was about to say something to redirect the conversation when a young maid came in to announce: “The Fourth Young Miss has arrived.”

The Second Madam laughed: “I was just wondering why she hadn’t come yet… I sent someone to inform her.”

Before the words had faded, Fourth Miss walked in wearing a shimmering gown of moonlight colors.

She began weeping before she even spoke: “How could Elder Sister just go like this? Leaving the Marquis and Zhun Ge behind — how will they get on from now?” She raised her handkerchief to wipe her tears.

The Third Madam laughed: “We only just managed to console Sister-in-law, and now we shall have to console you as well.”

Fourth Miss heard this and put away her tears to greet everyone.

The Second Madam said: “Now that everyone is here, shall we go to pay our respects to the Grand Dowager?”

The First Madam nodded: “My spirits are low — I will not accompany you.”

The Second Madam and Third Madam said a few more words to comfort the First Madam, then called the receiving matron and went off to the Grand Dowager’s residence.

When the Grand Dowager learned that Yuanniang’s family had come, she personally came out to receive them.

Everyone bowed to the Grand Dowager. She glanced at Eleventh Miss.

She saw that her eyes and the tip of her nose were red, and that a trace of sorrow lingered in her expression. The Grand Dowager gave a slight nod of approval.

Once they were inside, they discovered that the Grand Dowager had four other female guests.

Eleventh Miss recognized two of them — Madam Gan from the Zhongqin Earl’s household, and Madam Lin from the Weibei Marquis’s household.

Madam Lin was speaking with a beautiful woman of about forty: “…When I heard the cloud-board strike four times, I knew something had happened here. I immediately sent someone to inquire, and only then learned that the Marquis’s wife was gone!” She drew out her handkerchief to dab at her eyes.

The beautiful woman sighed: “What a pity for the children, left without anyone to care for them.”

“Indeed!” Madam Lin agreed. Seeing the Luo family’s party enter, she smiled and fell silent, lifting her teacup for a sip.

The Grand Dowager introduced everyone.

The beautiful woman who had been speaking with Madam Lin turned out to be the wife of Chief Minister Chen.

Chief Minister Chen was currently the Grand Chancellor of the Great Zhou dynasty. Yet she had not expected Madam Chen to be so young… she was mildly surprised.

The other unfamiliar woman was the wife of Jiang Bai.

Eleventh Miss studied her carefully.

She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, of very ordinary appearance, yet her bearing was gentle and her smile warm. One look at her, and one immediately felt favorably disposed toward her.

Once the Third Lady realized that the beautiful woman was Madam Chen, she became visibly ill at ease. Madam Chen, however, greeted the Third Madam with easy composure.

At first, Eleventh Miss assumed this was the gracious ease of one who had won. But after observing her more closely, she realized that Madam Chen was the sort of person who, in all things, never pushed ahead of others but never fell behind either — a woman who kept faithfully to the middle path. Madam Jiang, on the other hand, was somewhat different: she consistently placed herself last in everything. And since Madam Gan habitually kept a low profile, it was Madam Lin who ended up being the one who led the conversation. Eleventh Miss listened to what Madam Lin had to say.

Fortunately, Madam Lin’s words were not coarse, and with the Second Madam chiming in occasionally, the atmosphere was pleasantly congenial enough.

After about the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, the Second Lady arrived.

She brought with her the date chosen by the Auspicious Affairs Bureau of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory for the Grand Dowager to review: “…Please take a look. Is this acceptable?”

The Grand Dowager, however, did not take it. She said: “You may decide.”

The Second Lady took the paper and tucked it back into her sleeve, then said: “We had not anticipated so many guests, and I’m afraid the outer reception hall will need screens to partition it for the flow of the funeral banquet. I would like to borrow the three lacquered black mica-inlaid screens from your storeroom for the occasion.”

The Grand Dowager called for Wei Zi: “Go and give the three lacquered black mica screens to the Second Lady.”

Wei Zi acknowledged. The Second Lady exchanged some pleasantries with the assembled guests and then left with Wei Zi to retrieve the screens.

Eleventh Miss was inwardly astonished.

She had not expected Yuanniang’s funeral to be presided over by the Second Lady. She had assumed it would be the Third Lady…

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she heard Madam Lin sigh: “Such a capable woman — what a pity…”

A pity she never became the mistress of Marquis Yongping’s household?

Eleventh Miss pondered this to herself, and noticed that the Grand Dowager had cast her a glance.

With Madam Chen present, the Third Madam was inevitably uneasy. The Second Madam had no intention of leaving, but since the Third Madam stood and announced she was going to check on the First Madam, the Second Madam could not linger much longer and rose to take her leave of the Grand Dowager.

At just that moment, several more ladies — wives of various ministers — arrived at the Grand Dowager’s. Seeing that she could not keep her guests, the Grand Dowager personally escorted them to the courtyard gate.

Eleventh Miss leaned close to Seventh Miss and murmured a few words. Seventh Miss’s eyes flickered, and she whispered something to the Second Madam, who was bidding farewell to the Grand Dowager. The Second Madam’s gaze shifted briefly, and she gave a small nod, then smiled and asked the Grand Dowager: “I wonder where the Second Lady might be receiving guests? I would like to ask her when the First Young Miss will lie in state and when the funeral procession will depart, so we may go home and set the First Master’s mind at ease.”

The Grand Dowager glanced at Eleventh Miss, then said with a smile: “In the reception hall beside Dian Chun Hall. The Second Madam may not know the way, but the young misses are familiar with it.”

The Second Madam exchanged a few pleasantries with the Grand Dowager and then made her way to the reception hall beside Dian Chun Hall.

A row of matrons stood waiting beneath the eaves to report matters.

Seeing the Second Madam, they quickly went to announce her to the Second Lady.

The Second Lady, attended by a cluster of maids and matrons, came forward to receive her: “What an honor to have you here, honored kinswoman. Please do come in for tea.”

After greetings were exchanged, the Second Madam explained her purpose.

The Second Lady replied at once: “The auspicious date chosen has the body lying in state for five weeks — thirty-five days — with the mourning ritual beginning three days hence, when the death announcement will be sent out. High monks from the Temple of the护 Nation will chant the Great Compassion Repentance Sutra, and high Taoist priests from White Cloud Abbey will perform ritual ceremonies. The funeral procession will depart on the morning of the sixth day of the fifth month, at the hour of Chen, with the interment at the hour of Wei.”

The Second Madam smiled: “I shall go back and report all of this to the First Master.”

The two exchanged pleasantries, and then the Second Madam took her leave: “…I must also go and check on my sister-in-law. You are very busy here!”

The Second Lady offered a few polite words and saw the Second Madam off as far as the inner passageway before returning.

Along the way, Seventh Miss spoke in low voice to Eleventh Miss without pause: “Elder Sister’s home is so beautiful. When I came last to pay my respects to Elder Sister, it was snowing heavily, so I never made it to the back garden!”

Eleventh Miss, however, was lost in her own thoughts.

Just now when she had whispered to Seventh Miss, she had felt the Grand Dowager watching her. Then when Seventh Miss made the suggestion to the Second Madam, a flash of displeasure had crossed the Grand Dowager’s eyes.

Why was the Grand Dowager displeased?

Was it because asking Seventh Miss about the funeral arrangements made the Luo family appear to have acted with poor manners as Yuanniang’s own family? Or was it that the Grand Dowager disliked this way of acting through circuitous means?

She then thought of the Second Lady, the Third Lady, and the Fifth Lady…

It was evident that both the reserved Second Lady and the vivacious Fifth Lady were quite favored by the Grand Dowager, while the sharp-tongued Third Lady was not… Was it a matter of legitimate versus illegitimate birth? Or simply a matter of personal preference?

And then there was the Second Lady — she had stared at Eleventh Miss for a long while when they bowed in greeting… Combined with what Zhun Ge had said earlier, could it be that everyone in the Xu household already knew that Yuanniang had wished for her to become Xu Lingyi’s next wife?

If that were the case, her presence at the Xu household today felt rather awkward…

Lost in all these random thoughts, they quickly returned to Lijing Pavilion.

The First Madam was seated upright in bed beneath her blankets, being served porridge by Nanny Xu.

Seeing everyone return, Nanny Xu quickly explained: “From last night until now, the First Madam has eaten only this one bowl of porridge — the Grand Dowager specifically instructed the kitchen to simmer it slowly over a low flame with yellow millet. Please, everyone, do have some too!”

No one was willing to impose on the Xu household’s special preparation made just for the First Madam; all declined.

The Second Madam then told the First Madam about the funeral arrangements made by the Xu family.

The First Madam, upon hearing it, said: “Since the Auspicious Affairs Bureau of the Imperial Astronomical Observatory chose the date, so be it.” But she sounded somewhat displeased.

They had invited the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to select the auspicious date, and were having monks and Taoist priests hold thirty-five days of water and land rituals… and she was still not satisfied? Or was this merely a pretext?

Eleventh Miss could not help pondering this quietly.

That evening, when they returned home, the First Master came out at once to ask what had happened. The First Madam relayed everything the Second Madam had told her about the date of the funeral procession and the interment. Then she thought of Luo Zhensheng, still in the examination hall, and could not help clasping her hands and murmuring a prayer: “Yuanniang, may your spirit in Heaven protect your brother in passing the examinations with distinction, and your brother-in-law as well…”

The First Master sat in silence for a long while, and then said with a note of desolation: “You are tired too. Rest early. There will be much to do in the coming days.”

Everyone acknowledged and dispersed.

The next morning, the First Madam woke feeling listless and unwell. Assuming it was grief and pent-up melancholy from the past few days, she took a Baiziren pill and felt somewhat better, and thought no more of it. That afternoon she sent Wu Xiaoquan to the examination hall to collect Luo Zhensheng, and the two did not return until the early evening hour of You.

The First Madam took her son by the hands and looked him up and down: “…You’ve lost quite a bit of weight.”

Luo Zhensheng smiled: “I ate and slept well inside. I haven’t lost any weight.” Then he looked at Luo Zhensheng, who had come to welcome him: “When did you arrive?”

Luo Zhensheng quickly replied: “I arrived just yesterday!”

Only then did Luo Zhensheng notice that everyone was dressed in white, and that his wife had two small white flowers pinned in her hair.

“This…”

The First Madam began to sob: “Your elder sister, she, she…”

Luo Zhensheng’s expression shifted from joy to shock: “How could this be…” Tears glistened at the corners of his eyes. “I must go and see her!”

He lifted his foot to set off for Lotus Flower Lane.

The First Madam was grieving for her daughter, but she was grieving for her son as well. She held Luo Zhensheng back: “What hour is it now? You can go first thing tomorrow morning — it is not too late!”

But Luo Zhensheng would not hear of it. He called a manservant to ready the carriage and went back to his room to change into plain-colored clothes.

The First Madam had no choice but to let Luo Zhensheng accompany him.

The two brothers did not return until late at night. They had barely lain down when there came a knock at the door.

The one keeping night watch raised a lantern and called out asking who was there. Unexpectedly, the visitor was Qian Ming.

Luo Zhensheng had someone open the gate. Qian Ming came in reproaching him: “Elder Sister has passed on, and you didn’t send me word. If I hadn’t had a fellow student whose elder from home went to pay condolences, I still wouldn’t have known.”

“It was too late today,” Luo Zhensheng welcomed Qian Ming inside. “I was going to notify you tomorrow.” Then, seeing Qian Ming drenched with dew, he added: “Stay here tonight. Tomorrow we will go to the Xu estate together.”

Qian Ming agreed. A flash of joy crossed his eyes without his intending it.

Luo Zhensheng could not help but wonder to himself — had he done right or wrong in matchmaking between Fifth Miss and Qian Ming?

—